Webcast summary:
Voluntary guidance and regulatory frameworks increasingly require an integrated approach to transition planning across climate and nature, both for large corporates and financial institutions. In parallel, institutional investors (and other sources of finance) are increasingly factoring nature-related risks and opportunities into their capital allocation and stewardship priorities.
Both investors and their portfolio companies are working through this process, seeking to identify and respond to the most financially material impacts of biodiversity loss, and other nature-related risks and dependencies. Organisations are at different stages in the journey: understanding drivers, evaluating impacts and dependencies, prioritising risks and opportunities, managing risks through engagement with corporate and sovereign issues, investing for impact, and developing / participating in nature markets.
Taking its lead from progress made at COP30 to channel private finance to nature-positive investments, this webcast provides an overview of the challenges facing asset owners at each of these stages. It will also highlight evolving broad and best practice among asset owners and their asset management partners, with examples of how firms are using available resources – data, analytics, standards, frameworks, collaborative initiatives – to move from risk to opportunity.
Panellists:
Chris Perceval, Global Head of Market Engagement on Sustainability, S&P Global
Laura Moss-Bromage, Planet Lead, Church Commissioners for England
Ann Meoni, Senior Sustainable Investment Manager, at Aberdeen
Harry Ashman, Senior Engagement Specialist, Robeco
Moderated by Chris Hall, Editorial Director, Sustainable Investor
Questions:
Where are the most financially material exposures for institutional investors arising from risks, impacts and dependencies relating to biodiversity loss?
What are the key practical challenges involved in identifying and quantifying the financial materiality of these risks, impacts and dependencies? as well as measuring effectiveness of responses?
How are stewardship and engagement tactics being used to minimise exposures to biodiversity loss?
How are investors engaging across the food value chain? Where are the investment opportunities arising from sustainable agriculture and forestry, as well as agri-food system transformation?
What are the emerging nature-positive investment opportunities for institutional investors across active, passive, impact and beyond? : Do they want an integrated approach or nature-tilting index funds, impact investing solutions, or nature-based markets such as biodiversity credits?
What policy shifts would be most catalytic to nature positive-investment flows? What further policy measures are most needed to help investors assess and address financially material risks posed by biodiversity loss? What scope for policy engagement?
